Arroyo Seco Trail (Gabrielino National Recreation Trail)

During the early decades of this century, Arroyo Seco was an extremely popular place for a weekend outing.  About halfway up the wild section of the canyon stood Camp Oak Wilde, a rustic resort constructed in 1911.  Hikers and horsemen stayed a night or two or used the hostelry as a rest stop on the way up to Mt. Wilson.  During the 1920s, a road was constructed and automobilists traveled the Arroyo to Camp Oak Wilde.

Southern California's "flood of the century" wiped out Oak Wilde in 1938. The awesome torrent also washed away the road and many vacation cabins. A few stone steps and foundations, ivy-covered walls and bridges give today's hiker hints of a time gone by.

Besides the Southern California history lesson, oak, sycamore and bay-filled Arroyo Seco has much to offer. The modern day traveler can walk the old 1920s auto road and newer Forest Service trails to quiet picnic areas. Because the path up the Arroyo Seco is officially part of the Gabrielino National Recreation Trail, it's usually kept in very good condition.

Gabrielino National Recreation Trail

Arroyo Seco is undoubtedly the best-known canyon in Southern California. It's the site of the Rose Bowl and has the dubious distinction of hosting California's first freeway, the Pasadena. But the ten miles of canyon dominated by the freeway bear little resemblance to the ten miles of wild and rugged arroyo spilling from the shoulder of Mount Wilson.

And the arroyo is rugged. A quiet stream--lined with colonnades of alder, live oak and mountain lilac clinging to the narrow sides of the gorge--cascades over boulders of big gray granite. A walk through the wildest part of Arroyo Seco that visits Switzer Falls and a couple of peaceful trail camps.